The EU Parliament has asked the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) to release Abdiaziz Gurbiye, an editor with Goobjoog Media Group (GMG) who was arrested in April.
Gurbiye’s arrest in April, 2020 attracted plenty of criticism locally and internationally with most critics asking the government to set him free.
EU Parliament becomes the latest institution to add its voice to an issue that has drawn plenty of negative attention to the government of President Mohamed Farmaajo.
Maria Arena, who chairs the EU Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights issued a statement saying the charges levied against Gurbiye must be dropped.
She also asked the government to drop all charges against Mukhtar Mohamed Atosh, a journalist working with the Voice of America (VOA) who the government also detained.
“Although Gurbiye and Atosh were released on bail, the charges against them have not been dropped,” said Arena.
EU Parliament’s appeal for the dropping of the charges follows the recent pronouncement by President Farmaajo that his government plans to repeal the archaic 1964 Penal Code.
Authorities in the country often rely on this outdated Penal Code to arrest and intimidate journalists in a move critics cite as detrimental to freedom of expression and communication.